PWD chief says water to flow today ,Residents fume as tanker operators hike rates
the goan I network
PANAJI
After multiple assurances from all quarters that water supply would resume by Tuesday night, luck was not on the side of the people desperate for water, as their wait was delayed by yet another night.
Even though the PWD had said that water with low pressure would be available in taps by Tuesday night, the same was not to be, and the people from five constituencies without water will now have their hopes pinned on Wednesday.
PWD principal chief engineer Uttam Parsekar told “The Goan” that water could now be expected by Wednesday morning, and that the 900 mm pipeline had already been set, and the valves would shortly be opened. He further said that since the water from Opa would be released “slowly”, it would take around five to six hours to reach taps, instead of the usual three hours.
However, consumers expressed doubts that water would reach taps by Wednesday, and were apprehensive that even if water did start trickling in, it would be muddy.
Work on the joining and setting of the pipe was going on till late Tuesday night, with several workers joining hands on site, to speed up the process.
Meanwhile, private water tankers continued to be in high demand, with rates for the tankers increasing. When contacted by “The Goan”, several residents of the capital city lamented that even though they were willing to pay for the private tankers, and begged the tankers to come, it was a difficult task to get them to agree.
One of the residents who lives opposite the Panjim market said that the tanker came to his house at night, as during the day, it was just not possible for the tanker to find parking place on the busy road in front of the market. Further, he said that tankers were charging more. “From paying Rs 1,000 on Friday, I had to pay Rs 1,500 on Monday night to fill my tank of 3,000 litres,” he said.
Another resident of Caranzalem told “The Goan” that his family had started using paper plates to save on water to wash cutlery and crockery. “We paid Rs 700 for a tanker to fill our 5,000 litre tank but it was absolutely difficult to get them to agree to come,” he said.
A resident of Campal who lives in the Landscape Pinto Park colony said that the society was rationing out water to each family. “Our society pays around Rs 1,500 for a tanker, and then rations out water to us only for cooking, as there is not enough for everything. We haven’t washed clothes for a week. Initially, the Panaji MLA helped but now there is no sign of him,” she lamented.
Due to the shortage of water, public toilets in the capital city have also been closed.
